Posted by Leah Cuddeback | May 16, 2022 | Aggregate Production Operations, Community, County Authority, News, Planning and Development, Regional Planning, Water Conservation, Water Quality
A hypnotic maze of subdivisions stretches along Anderson Mill Road as you drive north out of Austin. Then, just before you reach downtown Cedar Park, towering mounds of loose rock rise like ashes from a giant cigarette. Throughout the Texas Hill Country, this sort of...
Posted by Leah Cuddeback | May 5, 2022 | Aggregate Production Operations, Community, County Authority, HCA in the News, News, Planning and Development, Regional Planning, Water Planning, Water Quality, Water Resources
About a year ago, I was kayaking down the Llano River, about 80 miles west of Austin, Texas. It’s spring-fed and runs through the countryside, representative of the state’s beauty. I was paddling a usually serene route when I noticed the water becoming shallow and the...
Posted by Dominic Troiani | Apr 4, 2022 | County Authority, Economics of Sound Planning, Planning and Development, Regional Planning, Transportation Planning
The standard approach for engineering projects is well-established. A team of technical experts determines that a project needs to happen. They get whatever authorization they need to move forward in evaluating options. They put together options, most frequently three...
Posted by Dominic Troiani | Mar 21, 2022 | County Authority, Drought, Water Conservation, Water Planning, Water Quality
When it comes to water in a county where groundwater is the sole source for irrigation and drinking, and where demand is racing ahead of supply, the boundaries of politics and ideology can change. Clear proof has emerged in recent years of the serious consequences of...
Posted by Leah Cuddeback | Mar 16, 2022 | Aggregate Production Operations, Community, County Authority, Economics of Sound Planning, Legislature and Regulation, Low Impact & Sustainable Development, News, Planning and Development, Regional Planning, Texas Hill Country Conservation Network, Water Resources
Editorial by Ben Eldredge, Cibolo Center for Conservation As the new State of the Hill Country Report illustrates, the Hill Country population has increased by 50% since 1990, with most of this growth occurring along the I-35 corridor. The fastest growing counties are...
Posted by Dominic Troiani | Mar 9, 2022 | County Authority, Landowner Alliances, News, Regional Planning
The Helotes City Council has approved design plans of a proposed 24-hour gas station and convenience store on a rural stretch of road that some residents want to protect from commercial development. The 4-1 vote on Feb. 24 was not the final approval for the project,...